Brush support



Dec. 27, 1949 J. MILES BRUSH SUPPORT Filed Feb. 18, 1947 IAiVJEN TOR, ufa'rn cs MZ BY Jn m Patented Dec. 27, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BRUSH SUPPORT James Miles, Los Angeles, Calif. Application February 18, 1947, Serial No. 729,283

Claims.

This invention relates to a device to be used by a painter when conducting painting operations, or when applying any liquid to a surface by means of a brush. Many such operations are performed while the painter is standing on a ladder, and from time to time it is necessary for him to put down the brush. In doing this, itis desirable to rest the brush in some way so that it can drip into the pail or can containing the liquid or paint that is being used.

Some devices have been produced for enabling the brush to be supported over the contents of the can, but many of these have the character of a clamp for grasping the brush handle, and in some of these devices where a rest is provided on which the handle of the brush rests, the construction is not such as to prevent the brush from turning over and falling into the pail or bucket.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device of this character, which can be readily operated with one hand to set it in a position to receive and support the brush in a a substantially upright position above the contents of the pail; and which is so constructed that normally the support for the brush is maintained in a retracted or folded condition adjacent the side of the pail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supporting member operating as a rest on which the brush can be placed, having features of construction which will enable it to prevent the brush from falling over after it is set in place.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character, having a supporting member in the nature of an arm capable of swinging from a retracted position, into an extended position in which it is adapted to engage the bristles of the brush just below the shoulder of the handle when the brush is slipped down into place, and to provide means including resilient means, or a spring, cooperating with the parts of the device in such a way that the sup:- porting arm for the brush can maintain itself in its extended position after being set in such position, but which, after having supported the brush, will effect the return of the support to a retracted position when the brush is removed, thereby leaving the interior of the pail-substantially free and unobstructed.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel Parts and combinations of parts to be described hereinafter,

2 all of which contribute to produce an eflicient brush support.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the side wall of a paint-bucket or pail, and illustrating a device embodying my invention, applied to the same. In this view, my device is shown partially in elevation, and partially in section; and a paint brush is illustrated in dotted lines, supported by the device.

Fig. 2 is an elevation looking upon the device from the interior of the pail, and showing a portion of the bracket broken away and partially in section; a portion of the supporting member or hook-member, is also shown in vertical section. This view also shows a supporting-meme her in its extended position, that is to say, with the movable parts of the device set to receive the brush.

Fig. 3 is a plan showing a portion of the wall of the pail, and illustrating my device applied to the same, and with the hook-member in its retracted or folded position.

Referring more particularly to the parts, I indicates a portion of the wall of the cylindrical bucket or pail such as used by painters for holding paint, from which they are applying paint on a wall or other surface, by means of a brush 2, such as illustrated in dotted lines. This bucket or pail is usually provided with a bail (not illustrated) for supporting and carrying it. These pails or buckets usually have a body of cylindrical form, formed of sheet metal.

In applying my invention in the construction of a device to be applied to a bucket such as illustrated, I provide a frame-member, or bracket 3, that has an inner member or body 4 of plate-like form, that is formed with a socket 5 at its upper end, enabling it to be shoved down over the upper edge or lip 6 of the bucket; and in order to hold the bracket in place, it is provided on its outer side with an extension I, which extends downwardly, and the lower end of which is formed into, or provided with, an upwardly extending inelined tongue 8. This tongue presses yieldingly and resiliently against the outer wall of the pail, and holds the bracket in position. If desired, the body 4 of the bracket may taper slightly toward its lower end, and at this point I attach a supporting member, or hook-member 9. This hookmember is preferably composed of a relatively long extension or arm It toward its outer end, and has a relatively short arm I I that is attached on a pivot bolt or pin l2 to the lower end of the body 4. This may be accomplished by attaching the end of the short arm I I between two lugs I3 that project outwardly from the adjacent face of the bOdy 4.

In accordance with my invention, in addition to providing this pivoted supporting arm, I also provide means for returning it to a folded or re.- tracted position in which the tip of the long arm will lie substantially against the upper portion of the bracket, and this means preferably'is constructed so that a manually-operated: part:

connected with the hook-member, can be operated by one hand, or finger, to place the armorhook 9 in the set position, such as. that illustrated;

in Fig. 1, that adapts it to receive the brush and support the same in substantially the positioninwhich it is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. In': order to accomplish this, I prefer to: provide an operating stem it, the lower portion [5. of which is: illustrated as of smaller diameter. than the upper portion 15. This lower portion or ex"- tension I5 is bentlaterally to form a hook if that is received in a pivot opening or eye. [8' formed in the inner end of the short arm. H. The. upper end portion l5 thestem Hi, is guided on the upper end 'or: saddle portion I9 of the bracket. that rests upon the-lip ofthe'pail, and in the. present in.- stance, it is guidedto slide through a guide opening: 20" in the saddle portion 13, through. which the part [612 of: thestem. slides freely and: loosely. Near its upper end, and on one of its lateral sides, a; notchs'or shoulder 2!. is provided. With this construction, by reason of the presence. of: this shoulder,. if." the upper' end of the stem. is pressedi downwardly andlaterally: by a. force applied. in: a direction iudic'atedbythe; arrow 22 in Fig.2, the. notchv or shoulder. 21 canbe'. projected under'thelower'edge of the opening. at, and when released; will maintain the stem: 25: in. this de:- pressed position with the hook-member 9, in: its corresponding: extended position illustrated in Fig. In: order to; retract the hook-member 9 and move it: up. to its folded position illustrated in Fig. 3, when the paintbrush 2; is. lifted? from it: I provide resilient means preferably in the form: of azcoi'l'. spring as, the upper end of which is anchnred; in. an opening 25' disposed laterally, andaatarr elevated position. on the body. 4 of the bracket. Thelower end of. the spring 23 is formed into a ring-shaped integral hook 25 that extends aroundthelower portion 15 of the stem, and seats against the shoulder 26 that is formed at; the junction of: the two portions t5 and. It of the stem. This spring. 23. is a light spring, and; exerts insufiicient force to dislodge the shoulder 2| from engagement. with. the edge of the opening. 29, but assoonas the brush 2 is rested on the hook-member 9; the weight of the brush will depress the hook-member 9:slightly to an extent permittedby a stop-toe 2-7 that will engage the adjacent face at the body 4 of the bracket. In other words, the stem. I51: will .move down far enough to" dislodge the. shoulder 2| from the edge of the opening 25, whereupon the spring 23 will pull up on the stem l5; and swing the hook-member 9 up to its ree tracted: and. elevated position, where it will be out of the way for the painter.

I prefer to' make the hook-member 91 out of plate.-material-, so that it presents side faces 28 whichlare. inla substantially vertical plane. These side faces. present. sufficient area to insure that the-brush will be maintained in anupright position. In other words, the weight of the handle of the brush can not operate to permit the brush to rotate on the hook-member in the medial plane of the brush, so that it would fall away from the position in which it is supported. And, furthermore, in order to insure that the brush handle will not tip toward the interior or axis of the pail, nor outwardly toward the wall of the pail, I prefer to have the arms 10 and II of the hook 9 disposed at an angle to each other, so that an angular socket 29* isformed, at which the brush will be supported with the shoulders 30 of the brush handle substantially resting upon the upper edges of: these arms.

It will be evident that in using this device, the painter can readily push the stem M downwardhg, so. as. to move the hook-member 9 to its extended position, whereupon he can rest the brush onthe same, in the position which is illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. As soon as the bruslris lifted ofi of the hook-membenof cnurse the spring 2-3 will immediately return the; h'oolnmember toits folded position adjacent the side of: the-pail.

In. practice, if desired, the. spring. 2 3, and the operating. stem I4, maybe enclosed iira casing, which casing would. be; provided with a slot through=which-the hook. 9'would project. Theuse of. this casing, however; is unimportant, and it has been omitted tofacilitate the'disclosure of the invention.

Many other'embodimentsof the invention may be: resorted-to withoutdeparting: from the. spirit of the.- invention.

I claim. as. my invention:

1 In a device. for supporting a brush upon a painters pail or the like, the; combination of. a frame-member having means for." supporting. the same adjacent the lip of the pail, a hooln-memhen movably attached: to the frame-member, manually-operated means for: moving; the hook.- member intoan extended position. projeoting inwardly from the'side of the pail, and for maintaining'the same extended to; receive and support the brush ina position todripinto the-pail; and automatic means for moving thehook-member to a retracted. position brought-into. action by the removal of the brush from the-hook-member.

2.. A hook for supporting a paint brush upon a painters pail or the like, according to l, in. which the hook-member is pivotally attached to-the-frame-member soas to swing downwardly and inwardly toward the interior of the pail; in which the frame-member hasmeans for guiding the. frame-member; and resilient means associated therewith for normally maintaining the hook-member in a retracted position.

3. Ina hook for supporting a paint brushupon a painters pail-or'the like, the combination of a frame-member including. a. bracket hat/mg means for attaching the same tov the lip of the pail, a hook-member. pivotally attached to. the. bracket, a stem guided to slide on the bracket and operatively connected to the hook-member for swinging the same downwardly on its pivot toproject it in.- wardly toward the interior of. the pail, a spring associated with saidstem forurging the same upwardlyand laterally; said stem having a shoulder on the side remote from said spring adapted to engage-the bracket when the stem is forced downwardly and laterally'away from the location. of the spring, said shoulder: operating to resist the force exerted by the spring and maintain the hool: in an. extended position; said partscooperating whenrthe brush. is: hung on thehook to depress the stem further and release the shoulder from the bracket, so that when the brush is removed from the hook, the spring retracts the hook toward the side of the pail.

4. In a hook for supporting a paint brush upon a painters pail or the like, the combination of a frame-member including a bracket having means for attaching the same to the lip of the pail, a hook-member pivotally attached to the bracket, manually-operated means mounted on the bracket and operatively connected with the hookmember for swinging the same downwardly on its pivot to project it inwardly toward the interior of the pail, means for urging the hook-member upwardly; said parts cooperating when the brush is hung on the hook-member to maintain the spring extended; said spring operating when the brush is removed from the hook-member, to retract the hook-member into its position of rest adjacent to the side of the pail.

5. In a device for supporting a painters brush upon a painters pail or the like, the combination of a bracket having means for securing the same to the pail, and a supporting member to be engaged by the brush, pivotally attached to the bracket, capable of swinging inwardly into an extended position adapted to support the brush over the contents of the pail, and a spring for retracting the said supporting member when the brush is removed from the same.

10 JAMES MILES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 15 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,219,045 Schmidt Mar. 13, 1917 1,554,391 Town Sept. 22, 1925 20 1,940,157 Tucker Dec. 19, 1933 2,226,059 Hoff Dec. 24, 1940 

